Tender Pot Roast and Veggies

Have you ever sat back and thought of what you would do differently if you ever came into some serious money? Mama used to do that a lot when we were little. She’d talk about how, if she ever won the lottery, she’d buy us all a house and a new car for each person. She never talked about anything for herself, she just wanted to be able to do more for us.

I’m not sure when I started thinking of what I’d do differently if I ever came into money, but it was never quite as grand as Mama’s vision – I think “coming into money” meant far different amounts for both of us. But I have said for some time now that if I ever got rich, I’d have pot roast once every week.

You see roast and potatoes has always been one of my very favorite meals and I have vivid memories of having it at home as a child, of my Grandmama and Grandaddy cooking it for me when I went to visit them, and of eating it at my Papa Reed’s farm. Folks always knew how much I loved it and the moment I walked in the door I knew by the smell what was for dinner.  Adding in the carrots was just a wonderful treat too.

I know most people don’t see pot roast as a meal of luxury but having that much meat in one meal was always a treat for us. When we were little, it seemed like the roast just went on and on like Jesus with the fish and loaves.

Now, as the one doing the cooking, I can’t believe how incredibly simple it is to make the roast I loved so much as a child. I’ve been awfully busy lately with all of the wonderful opportunities in my life and I’ve relied more and more heavily on my slow cooker to help out with supper. Add to this that the grocery store down the road from my house always has the most lovely roasts each time I shop there and you know where I’m going with this!

I told my husband a few weeks back “Do you realize we’ve had roast each week here lately?”. He nodded and shrugged, clearly not understanding what this meant to me. I just smiled in return, knowing that I had achieved my own benchmark for living the life of the rich and famous.

For my roast, I keep it simple because I like simple.

Roast, potatoes, carrots, and beef gravy.

An onion would be an excellent addition and I’d gladly add that if everyone in my family except me hadn’t been dropped on their head as a child.

The KEY to having a moist and fall apart tender roast is not to cook it in water. The gravy helps tenderize the meat and makes it sooooo good when allowed to slow cook all day long.

What Can I Use If I Don’t Have Gravy Handy?

Cream soup (such as cream of mushroom)

Brown gravy made from a powdered mix

Now this big old honkin’ jar of gravy is WAY too much.

You see that can of gravy on the left? That is the size I normally use but I mistakenly got chicken gravy instead of beef – which would have worked every bit as well but I wanted beef and I tend to be a bit stubborn when I set my mind to something (shocking, I know) so I sent my husband after some beef gravy. He came back with this big old king kong sized jar of it. I only need ten ounces though so I’m not going to use it all.

When you go to buy your beef gravy, get one can of the cheap stuff and your roast will be delicious.

Place your roast in the bottom of a slow cooker. Peel and cut up your potatoes and add them as well.

I leave mine in pretty big chunks but you can do whatever cranks yer tractor here.

Peel and cut up your carrots and toss those in.

I usually add more but used what I had on hand.

Note: There is no specific quantity to this. Use five potatoes or ten potatoes, three carrots or seven carrots, it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t even matter how big your roast is so long as it all fits in your slow cooker. You still only need one can of gravy because everything is going to produce it’s own juices as it cooks to go along with the gravy.

Pour in your gravy

(I’m only using half of that king kong jar)

Cook according to the following chart:

Low – 7-8 hours

or

High 3-4 hours

I like to cook mine the longest amount of time (four hours on high or eight on low) but you don’t have to.

It will be done and tender after the above times. Any longer you cook it will just make it even more tender.

See how much juice this made? This is after cooking on high for four hours.

Serve it up and wait on Robin Leach to show up at your door.

To read a little about these plates, click here.

What Kind Of Roast Should I Look For?

*Look for a roast that has a bit of marbling in it (the white parts, this is fat but marbling sounds so much nicer, doesn’t it?). The fat breaks down during slow cooking and helps to tenderize the meat even more, making for a yummmmy roast from an inexpensive cut of meat.

Tender Roast and Veggies

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Servings: 0

Ingredients

• 1 beef roast *
• potatoes
• Carrots
• Beef Gravy 10 ounce can

Instructions

• Place roast in bottom of slow cooker. Peel and cut up carrots and potatoes, place on top of Roast. Pour gravy over all and cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Try not to open the lid because it takes about twenty minutes to recover the heat if you do! Note: It doesn't matter how many potatoes or carrots you use, long as it all fits in your crock pot!
• I let my guests decide if they want to salt and pepper theirs.

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There are a GAZILLION Ways to make roast in the slow cooker. I’ve tried many and love them all but this is my fallback standard.

I’d love to hear your favorite recipe in the comments section below!

I’ve decided that the stuff falling through the cracks is confetti

and I’m having a party!

-Betsy Cañas Garmon

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